Entomology

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Entomology

Entomology is the scientific study of insects. Insects have many kinds of interactions with humans and other forms of life on earth, so it is an important specialty within biology; unlike many other fields however, entomologists including both persons studying insects for their own sake, and those employed by commercial concerns interested in the control of insects. This divides the field into basic and applied entomology. The definition is sometimes widened to include the study of other terrestrial arthropods, such as spiders, scorpions, and ticks.

History of entomology

Entomology is rooted in nearly all human cultures from prehistoric times, but scientific study began only as recently as the 16th century.

Applied entomology

Many entomologists are employed in the study of insects that are directly beneficial or harmful to humans. The study of beneficial insects is primarily focused on their ecology and life habits, the primary concern being the understanding of how to raise them and make them more productive.

Conversely, much of the study of insects (and related arthropods) that directly harm human beings (called medical entomology) is focused on their physiology, with the goal of developing insect controls that are effective while minimizing undesirable side effects. For instance, many types of insecticides have been developed that target unique aspects of insect physiology and are thus harmless to other kinds of animals. A risk to this approach is that insecticides can also kill beneficial insects. Considerable recent effort has gone into finding biological controls such as species-specific parasites and diseases, as well as genetic controls, such as the introduction of sterile insects into a population. The combination of taking into account all aspects of insect biology, available control measures, economics, and environmental considerations is known as integrated pest management.

Forensic entomology specializes in the study of insect ecology for use in the legal system, as knowledge of insect behavior can yield useful information about crimes. For example, the approximate time of death or whether or not a victim was alive during a fire may be determined by using facts such as what stage of the life cycle an insect found at the scene is in.

Taxonomic specialization

Many entomologists specialize in a single order or even a family of insects, and a number of these subspecialties have their own names, derived from the scientific name of the group:

Apiology (or melittology) - bees
Coleopterology - beetles
Dipterology - flies
Heteropterology - true bugs
Lepidopterology - moths and butterflies
Myrmecology - ants
Orthopterology - grasshoppers, crickets, etc.
Trichopterology - caddis flies

Organizations

Like other scientific specialties, entomologists have a number of local, national, and international organizations. There are also many organizations specializing in specific subareas.

For a complete list, see the Entomology Index.

Museums

Many museums contain very large and important insect collections. Here is a list of some of the most important.

Europe

Natural History Museum, Vienna Naturhistorisches Museum.
Natural History Museum, Paris Mus�um national d'Histoire naturelle
Natural History Museum, Berlin Humboldt Museum
Natural History Museum, London Natural History Museum
Royal Museum for Central Africa, Brussels Royal Museum for Central Africa
Natural History Museum, Leiden Natural History Museum, Leiden
Natural History Museum, Sweden Swedish Museum of Natural History
Natural History Museum, St. Petersburg Zoological Collection of the Russian Academy of Science

United States

Canada

For information on other insect collections see

Insects and Disease

Insects, chiefly Diptera are vectors for a wide range of deadly diseases.This ^* North Carolina website discusses some. Mosquitoes are especially important disease vectors.Also see this very useful "Compendium of References on Flies and Disease ^*

Identification of insects

Insects are identified by the use of Identification keys and Monographs. Because the class Insecta contains a very large number of species and the characters separating them are unfamiliar, this is often very difficult even for a specialist.

Insect identification is an increasingly common hobby, with butterflies and dragonflies being the most popular. Sites such as BugGuide.net, What's That Bug? and InsectAsylum cater to those wanting to find out about an insect they have seen or captured by posting insect photographs and responding to requests for identification help.

External links

^* Entomology Laboratory at the University of Vermont.
Iowa State Entomology Index Annotated directory of entomology-related resources.
Meganeura Website about insect evolution and fossil record.
Online museum of many insect specimens, including entomological collecting data.
Goliathus.cz - Entomology hobbyist site.
Linda Treadwell's site University of Florida
Medical Entomology images
Division of Entomology, University of Nebraska State Museum

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